Moments
by Bulldog6282
Summary: A series of one-shots, drabbles, or songfics about the TDI characters and their relationships with one another. First chapter is CxD.


**Disclaimer: I do not own any part of the TDI franchise, though I sometimes wish I did.**

**A/N: This begins a series of one-shots about different characters and/or pairings, set to the tune of various songs on my MP3 player. Expect to see large amounts of Trent and Gwen, and Courtney and Duncan, but I'll take requests, too, if you want to offer them up in reviews. (Just no Duncan/Gwen, or Trent/Heather.) First chapter's CxD :) **

**The song is "(You Want to) Make a Memory" by Bon Jovi, and I highly suggest watching the music video for it.**

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_If you don't know if you should stay_

_If you don't say what's on your mind_

_Baby, just breathe_

_There's nowhere else tonight we should be_

_You wanna make a memory?_

They were always connected, and they had been since the very beginning. But somewhere along the line, they let themselves wander in separate directions, traveling in different circles and moving forward in different ways. It had been twenty years since the conclusion of Total Drama Island, and fifteen since he had last seen her. There had been times when his mind wandered to her, but for the most part, he had moved forward. He had dated and almost married, and in the process become a juvenile parole officer.

Courtney, she was in the past. She was a memory of a time long ago, when he was young and rebellious and just learning to love. They were two very different people, and the relationship had ended on amicable terms. But he hadn't seen her in the past fifteen years. He missed her.

And it had hit him especially hard after seeing the letter from Chris. His thoughts had all jumbled up as he read through the words. A reunion show, attendance required by contract, the twentieth anniversary of an iconic television show. Damn paperwork.

He knew he was going to see her again, that he was going to stare at and admire her, fidget uncomfortably as Chris McLean probed and pestered them about the long-ago demise of their relationship. It was inevitable, really. And now, standing in a corner of the studio, he was beginning to do all of those things. She was talking to Trent and Gwen, who were expecting a baby girl. Under different circumstances, that could've been them expecting a baby. In a different life, it could've been him with his arm draped around her, softly kissing her cheek as he gently rubbed her growing belly. But that different life didn't exist, and here he was, staring at his old friends from a distance.

Most of the others seemed to be happy. Noah had married, becoming a professor at a prestigious university. Geoff and Bridgette were happily managing a surf shack in southern California, soaking up the sun and riding the waves. Chris was shamelessly promoting his new TV show—some things would never change, it seemed. He blinked, but wasn't surprised when Courtney said that she was a prosecutor in New York City; she was doing what she had always wanted to do. And he was even less surprised when Chris began to question them about the end of their relationship.

"So, Duncan," the host had asked, "Why _did _your relationship end?"

He looked up, blankly meeting McLean's stare. "As you know, we first met on Total Drama Island. We were sixteen, and we fell in love. We were young, we were happy, and we were living our lives away from the rest of society. But when we went back, things changed. Courtney and I, we had always been two very different people, who probably would not have interacted outside of the TDI setting. And outside of the TDI setting, we grew apart. Our paths had intersected during the show, and afterwards, it eventually diverged."

And it was the truth. He had been a punk and a delinquent, she had been the straight shooter bound for success. His turnaround had been in large part because he hoped her parents would grow to accept him and his relationship with their daughter; it never happened. But he didn't regret leaving his past life behind. He had become a juvenile parole officer, working in New York to help the numerous delinquents change their lives for the better—they reminded him of his younger self, lost and without a purpose. She had become a cutthroat prosecutor, and he had often seen her face in the newspapers. Even now, it was a similar situation. He went out into the city and attempted to help people turn their lives around; she was a high level prosecutor winning high profile cases. It almost guaranteed that their paths wouldn't cross again. But their journeys on TDI had ensured that they would always have a tie to each other, inevitably pulling them back.

After the show finished taping, the producers had decided to throw them a surprisingly generous thank you party, and he had obliged to stay awhile. The moment he decided to stay, he also decided to grab a beer. Maybe if he wasn't completely sober, he would be less aware of how lost he was at the moment. Duncan stared at the bottle for a long moment, and then took a long swig of it. He shook his head, deciding to actually go and talk to her.

"Hey," he murmured, "it's been a while."

"Yes, yes it has," she nodded, awkwardly hugging him.

"How're you doing?"

She shrugged. "I'm alright, I guess. You know, It's kind of hard to believe that it was twenty years ago that we were teenagers on an island, filming for a reality show."

"Yeah, it really is hard to believe. And it's even harder to believe that fifteen years ago, you and I were standing in a corner booth of a restaurant, saying our last goodbyes. Here, now, it seems like just yesterday that we were at the camp, sitting by one of the cabins."

She smiled softly. "It really does. And maybe that's why I almost didn't want to come here tonight. Too much nostalgia, too many memories of a simpler time. A lot has changed in those twenty years, and it feels almost like a different lifetime now."

"So much time has passed, Courtney. So many things are so different—every time I meet a kid, I think about the person I used to be. I think about TDI, and my past, and it hits me every single time. But we've all changed—and yet, I still see the sixteen year old in all of us when I look at anyone here. Everything from DJ and his bunny to how much Trent loved to play on that guitar to how much you wanted to succeed."

She smirked. "I think that moment, when I saw you chasing after the bunny, was when I first realized that underneath, you're really a softy."

"I am _not _a softy."

Okay, fuck that. He _was _soft, and it didn't matter what he could possibly say to the contrary. And at that moment, he wanted nothing more than to grab her and kiss her. She still had the same smile, the smirk, and the same laugh that he remembered so vividly from those summers.

He smiled. "You know, do you ever wonder what would've happened to us if things had gone down differently? You know, if I wasn't such a goddamn punk and you didn't always have a pole up your ass, what would've happened to us in the end?"

She raised an eyebrow. "I'll agree that you were a punk, but you and I both know that I did not have a pole up my ass. And in all honestly, what happened happened. We can't change it, no matter how much we may want to."

"We may not be able to change the past, but Courtney, we can change our future. You're here, I'm here, nothing else matters."

"Duncan, what are you saying?"

"Come with me, for tonight, we'll talk and go and do whatever you want to do. Princess, neither of us has anything planned for tonight, so let's just go out for the night, just like old times. Make a memory that neither of us will forget for a very long time. Please?"

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**As an ending, you can draw whatever conclusion to the story of Duncan and Courtney that you'd like; I have always somewhat liked open-ended conclusions to stories. I have also always loved Bon Jovi, and I think this song really fits. Anyways, review, and feel free to suggest songs as topics.**

**-SK **


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